The new Covid-19 case, whose symptoms are mild, has been on strict home isolation even before the results were released.

Two of the four new recoveries were recorded in Cebu City while the two others were recorded in Mandaue City and Cebu Province.

Of the total number of cases, six died while seven have recovered.

Of the total number of cases, 22 are from Cebu City (with four recoveries and four deaths); four in Negros Oriental (with two deaths); three from Cebu Province (with one recovered); one from Bohol (already recovered); two from Mandaue City (with one recovered), and two from Lapu Lapu City.

The VSMMC laboratory has already tested a total of 542 specimens since it began operations on March 21.

National tally

As of 4 p.m, Thursday, the DOH central office reported 322 new cases, bringing the country’s total cases to 2,633.

The DOH also announced 11 more deaths, bringing the mortality count to 107, while only one patient was added to the list of those who have recovered from the disease, bringing the total number of recoveries to 51.

DOH Secretary Francisco Duque said that aside from these cases, the agency recorded 1,275 patients under investigation (PUIs) who have tested negative for Covid-19.

He again appealed to the public to stay at home, observe physical distancing and proper handwashing to help stop the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in the country.

Duque also announced Thursday, April 2, that the DOH is set to distribute more personal protective equipment (PPEs) to government hospitals.

He reassured health workers that aside from an initial 15,000 PPEs which will be distributed by the Office of Civil Defense, about 885,000 sets are still expected to arrive.

Meanwhile, two more health care facilities in the region are processing their accreditation to become a Covid-19 testing laboratory.

These are the Governor Celestino Gallares Memorial Medical Center (GCGMMC) in Bohol and the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital (NOPH) in Negros Oriental.

DOH 7 Director Jaime Bernadas said the testing centers were suggested by governors and are now being assessed for their infrastructure and for biosafety.

“(We are) awaiting the response of RITM (Research Institute for Tropical Medicine). Meanwhile, our laboratory requirement has been coping with the tests needed for now,” Bernadas said in a text message to SunStar Cebu.

Yuri Richards

Meanwhile, a Covid-19 test done on the late Cebuano entertainment host and showbiz columnist Roy “Yuri Richards” Deldig showed that he was negative for the deadly virus.

Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan made the disclosure after he received a medical report from the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit who conducted the test.

Deldig, a resident of Barangay Bankal, Lapu-Lapu City, died on Tuesday, March 31, 2020.

He was famous for his shows on GMA-7 Cebu. He also wrote an entertainment column for Banat News.

Following Deldig’s death, and before the negative test result, personnel from the Lapu-Lapu City Hall disinfected his house in Barangay Bangkal.

However, a medical examination conducted later showed Deldig suffered from a heart attack while being admitted to a hospital in Cebu City.

“Dili Covid-19 ang iyang namatyan, naibtan tag tunok ani (He did not die from Covid-19. I feel a thorn has been pulled from me),” Chan said.

After receiving the DOH finding, Chan immediately called Deldig’s family to cancel their 14-day self-quarantine which started on April 1, 2020. (WBS, FVQ / JKV with SunStar Philippines)